The site of the old Kai Tak airport has played many roles: it’s housed government offices, car dealerships, a golf driving range, and even a go-kart track. It now serves as a passenger cruise terminal.
For its latest reincarnation, the Hong Kong government wants to repurpose the old site into a sports complex.
The plan includes a 50,000-seat stadium (with a retractable roof to deal with the pesky Hong Kong weather, naturally), a 5,000-seat sports ground, and a 4,000-seat indoor stadium.
If completed, the sports complex would take the reins from the Hong Kong Stadium as the host of the Rugby Sevens tournament.
That plan, however, hit a snag yesterday, with the government failing to secure crucial funding to begin construction work.
The Hong Kong government has been unable to lock in the HKD62 million needed to start laying the foundations.
Furthermore, the members at the Legislative Council’s Public Works Subcommittee also expressed worry that the site would become another “white elephant,” hinting that the land could be used to greater purpose, like, say, social housing.
The proposed sports complex would cost a total of approximately HKD25 billion (that’s two Yankee Stadiums, FYI) and was expected to be operational in 2021.
Talks continued on May 6, reports the SCMP.
Photo via Wikipedia
